OC Tenders - Review Anyone?

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Bill O

Our Spindrift 10' was great for rowing 1 person, stowed and towed well. While it suggests it can handle 3 people, will say they need to be very small or 1 adult and 2 children. We aren't big (average) and needed more free board while motor exploring. With 3 people or 2 w/provisions there isn't enough free broad to safely handle any type of chop and typically was a wet ride w/any chop. If we were to build one again, would add a min. 3" more free board.

The Spindrift 10 (and the PT-11, for that matter) have a pointed bow and have less capacity than pram designs (with a bow transom). The CLC passagemaker would have the capacity you were seeking but does not truly nest.


Many of the nesting designs are simply too small.

After many years of use, we sold the nester and purchased a 12' inflatable mini cat. It truly comes up on plane w/a 5hp and 2 people w/gear. Has a much larger capacity, is faster and can do longer trips w/4 people (we purchased a larger 9.8hp to replace the 5hp).

There are a number of smaller hard dinghies that will plane, notably Evan Gatehouse's GV-10 and GV-11. They do not nest, but may be suitable for larger boats. Gatehouse sailed a catamaran and kept his various dinghies on davits.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Nesting dingies can be fantastic. Jim Brainard from Brainwaves built a PT 11 and it is amazing. It's light, fast and beautiful. I am so envious watching him sail around the anchorage



But it is tender, doesn't have much carrying capacity, and does not plane. Jim and Deb also have an inflatable for the more practical application. And it is not cheap.



So, if you have a shop and some time, and $5000 to spend, and don't object to having a dingy on deck (most don't). this is a great option.



But it does not solve the issue of needing a large capacity, faster, dingy for shore trips with four people, provisioning runs, and snorkeling adventures.



It's mostly a wonderful toy.

Where’d you get $5k?

I figured it at $1,000-1500 for a Chameleon. Built in my garage. I would be building it to use, not to look pretty so that would shave some cost.

I have intentions to mount Sunbrella covered foam 1/2 rounds on each gunnel to improve stability but I’ll finish building the sucker first before trying that. Will keep all apprised.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Adelie

I figured it at $1,000-1500 for a Chameleon. Built in my garage. I would be building it to use, not to look pretty so that would shave some cost.

You can probably hit that if you build the rowing version, use one-part paint, and already have oars.

You can substitute readily available Douglass Fir for the Sitka spruce and reduce the size of scantlings somewhat as fir is stronger and heavier. Sitka spruce was readily available at the time the plans were drawn but is now a high priced specialty item. Fir is more rot resistant than other lumberyard woods.

You can use one layer of 4" tape instead of the two layers of 6"/8" tape in the plans. Stitch and glue construction has evolved since plans were drawn.

It is worth it to find and pay for good Oakume or Meranti BS1088 plywood. Lumberyard plywood is heavier and weaker and soaks up an enormous amount of epoxy resin which negates any cost savings.

The buoyancy boxes have a reputation for rotting from the inside out so you may want to coat them in epoxy on the inside.

It is worth using peel ply throughout to reduce the amount of epoxy you use and reduce the amount of sanding required.


You can save some weight by substituting PVC foam (divinycell etc) for the bow locker and the seats, but this will increase costs.

I used wing bolts and adhesive-mount nuts for the connection between halves and am well pleased.

I used MDS-filled nylon bars inlaid into the bottom of the skegs for wear resistance and am well pleased.

The bottom center of the hull at the bow and near the joint between halves takes the most abrasion from beaching and should perhaps be reinforced. I used a layer of kevlar.

I have intentions to mount Sunbrella covered foam
1/2 rounds on each gunnel to improve stability but I’ll finish building the sucker first before trying that. Will keep all apprised.

I have not found a gunwale fendering material that I completely like but would probably try 1" white nylon 3-ply rope if I had it to do over again.

To be effective as a stability aid the foam would have to be closer to the waterline rather than at the gunwale which poses questions of attachment strategy and which may interfere with nesting if placed on the front half of the dinghy.

A 4" diameter half round 10' long completely submerged provides 27 pounds of flotation. I am not sure that would be noticeable. As drawn it is not an unstable boat.

[The Yacht Rigger]

I'm a huge fan of the OC's.
No doubt they are expensive, but the quality and performance is hard to beat, and they keep appreciating. It's definitely a long play, but I plan on sailing for a long time, and I don't want to have to replace a RIB 3x over the next 20 years.
Also the sailing version is just so much fun!

Also the storage setup is incredible, no cluttered floor, everything is stowed away neatly.

I weighed mine - 330 Carbon sailing version, with wheels, oars, ladder, rod holders, mast, centerboard, rudder, basically EVERYTHING, and it came in at 172lbs.

[Hoodsail]

Originally Posted by joelhemington

In answer to your question, O.C. Tenders has a price list for each model on their website. The one I'd be interested in is the carbon fiber 330 ( a bit larger than your current boat but will handle a 15hp outboard. It costs $7,600 Usd which is about about a grand more than the equivalent Highfield but will last many times longer. The big downside with O.C. is the lead time - when people need a new dink, they need it now, not three months from now. If Russ were smart, he'd have a supply of his most popular model in stock and ready to ship. Even with the cost of airfreight (which has to cheaper than a dealer markup) you could have one in two to three days which means a lot more people wouldn't be buying Highfields.

Ps. Apparently O.C. Tenders has signed a deal with Outremer to supply a new dinghy with each new catamaran they sell. Outremer doesn't make near as many boats per year as Lagoon or Fountain Pajot but they do make a fair number of high end semi custom catamarans for those that can appreciate the difference and afford it. They are much larger than some of the South African semi custom builders like Knysna or St Francis.

Joel, thanks for the cost in US$, but too rich for my blood....plus I am not a full-time cruiser so don't need a "station wagon" just something that floats, transports a few adults at pace=quick walk, light enof that i can hoist it on deck w/ one of my halyards (same for the outbrd). Finally, stow it in a cockpit lazarette when under way. thnks

[fxykty]

I’m curious about performance in any sort of developed wind chop and/or swell? We’ve acquired a 3.65m aluminium boat that has quite a wide flared bow and shallow deadrise - very similar hull shape to the OC Tender.

In any sort of seas beyond gentle wind waves, including crossing wakes, it pounds unmercifully. In developed seas we have to go upwind very slowly to avoid pounding, certainly no planing is possible while retaining a viable spine. Going downwind it occasionally plows into the back of a wave and comes to a near standstill, even when planing, so that’s not fun either.

Going swimming from the dinghy is a PITA as we have to use a ladder to get in our out. We put the ladder over the stern next to the motor and have to have someone in the bow to balance it. Putting the ladder on the side, which we tried once, nearly flipped us over.

We’ve had this boat for not quite a month and still absolutely hate it. We got it as we’re heading into crocodile country, but once we’re past that we’re getting rid of it. We can’t wait to go back to using our True Kit inflatable catamaran dinghy.

Every photo or video of the OC Tender that I’ve seen is in flat water with gentle wind ripples. What happens in the real world of developed wind and waves?

[alctel]

Lovely dinghies for sure, but how are people comfortable leaving them on the beach/dock? It's like 1/3 the price of my sailboat pretty much, I'd be constantly worried about it

Say what you will about the porta-botes, noone wants to steal them (and you can reboard them as a diver, I do it all the time on my one)

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by fxykty

We can’t wait to go back to using our True Kit inflatable catamaran dinghy.

Do you have the Navigator with the inflatable bow or the Discovery "Landing Craft" style? How does it do in chop going to weather?

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by fxykty

I’m curious about performance in any sort of developed wind chop and/or swell? We’ve acquired a 3.65m aluminium boat that has quite a wide flared bow and shallow deadrise - very similar hull shape to the OC Tender.

In any sort of seas beyond gentle wind waves, including crossing wakes, it pounds unmercifully. In developed seas we have to go upwind very slowly to avoid pounding, certainly no planing is possible while retaining a viable spine. Going downwind it occasionally plows into the back of a wave and comes to a near standstill, even when planing, so that’s not fun either.

Going swimming from the dinghy is a PITA as we have to use a ladder to get in our out. We put the ladder over the stern next to the motor and have to have someone in the bow to balance it. Putting the ladder on the side, which we tried once, nearly flipped us over.

We’ve had this boat for not quite a month and still absolutely hate it. We got it as we’re heading into crocodile country, but once we’re past that we’re getting rid of it. We can’t wait to go back to using our True Kit inflatable catamaran dinghy.

Every photo or video of the OC Tender that I’ve seen is in flat water with gentle wind ripples. What happens in the real world of developed wind and waves?

I expect the OC Tender would pound as well based on the hull shape. And our aluminum dinghy does too, although it's better with a heavier load and at lower speeds. Some of the other high end tenders (like the AST tenders) appear to have a hull shape that may ride better in chop.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Matt Johnson

Do you have the Navigator with the inflatable bow or the Discovery "Landing Craft" style? How does it do in chop going to weather?

We have the Discovery with the open bow. At idle the bow is low to the water, but as soon as you accelerate the bow lifts high (pre-planing) and we use this mode in larger waves when planing is too wet and/or bouncy (at least with a fully inflatable boat the impacts are cushioned). It has relatively large diameter tubes (500mm) so those help to keep the spray down.

When planing the bow is far enough up (and we trim the motor aft to keep a slight bow-up attitude) that we don’t get any water over the bow. In chop the ride is fairly smooth, though we have to play the throttle to limit going airborne on larger waves. One can’t chop the throttle to come off the plane as the bow comes down and will plow water - a slow descent from plane down to idle forward is needed.



For snorkelling and diving nothing beats the open bow. And you can stand anywhere and it doesn’t tilt at all. It’s a high standard that our tinnie doesn’t and can’t meet, though I’ve heard that flotation collars just above the chines help. If we were to keep the tinnie [emoji33] we would have to do something like that, but it would only help the tippyness, not the atrocious ride.

[Far Horizon]

I have an OCT 350 carbon with wheels, ladder, additional steel plate and an ePropulsion Spirit 1.0. I chose this package deliberately, the things I considered important to me were weight, safety, comfort, capacity to carry stuff (including 2 adults), strength, maintenance and having less things to worry about. I’ve had it nearly 2 years.

For me, the OCT did all of that and coupled with the ePropulsion Spirit, I had the benefit of 1 less fuel source required on board. I’m considering getting one of the new larger batteries.

Steering: You learn how to steer any vessel, large or small, and learn to deal with the idiosyncrasies. Yes it is a different way of steering, you learn how to do it, just like you learn everything on a boat.

If you really want to go fast, buy the jet engine that someone has developed, that will take your steering, responsiveness and excitement to levels you’ve rarely seen. There’s a YT a video somewhere, maybe even on the OCT website.

Everything around any sort of boat is a compromise and a tender is no different. It’s essential to read all sorts of views from those who have experience with a particular product. I generally weigh experience over opinion, although the opinion might be interesting.

As someone who had many back issues over the years, I feel for the person whose partner has a bad back. There’s nothing about a tender going more than 3-5 knots in calm waters that will be comfortable, no matter what it’s made of and what you’re sitting on. Even writing this brings back bad memories (pun wasn’t intended).

I’ve chosen everything about my yacht, tender and related equipment to suit my expectations and the experience I want to have. I don’t expect to have to carry water, I have a water maker so it shouldn’t be part of my normal experience.

If I ever need to carry water (or diesel) I know the capacity of my OCT will allow me to do it and the flat bottom will accomodate a lot of Jerry cans. If I have to do 2 trips, ok, it will be the exception, not the norm. I choose safety over efficiency and speed anyway.

I’ve seen a version where the owner made a fantastic Bimini for their OCT, protection plus from the sun and great for longer trips or fishing. I know many owners have petrol engines and love their experience. They can, and do, go ripping across lagoons and various sea states as required, generally I don’t take a tender out if the conditions don’t warrant it.

I’m very confident about my OCT staying afloat, if it was to flip it’s got excellent hand-holds easily accessible. Stay with your boat, it’s easier to be seen.

My experience of dealing with Karin, Russel and the crew at OCT has been great. I heartily recommend them.

Just my experience, hope it helps.